Louisiana high court censures one of its own
By KEVIN McGILLJune 30, 2021 GMT
NEW ORLEANS (AP) Louisiana’s Supreme Court voted to censure one of its own Wednesday, saying a conversation that longtime Justice Jefferson Hughes held with a political operative during a 2019 campaign for a seat on the court harmed public confidence in the judiciary.
Hughes consented to the disciplinary action, according to the opinion and decree, which also calls for him to pay more than $2,000 to the state judiciary commission to cover costs in the investigation.
At issue was a meeting Hughes had with former Hammond council member Johnny Blount, who was supporting appellate court Judge William Crain, in a run for an open court seat in 2019, which Crain later won. Hughes denied an allegation that he offered $5,000 to a former Hammond official to persuade him to switch his support to Crain’s opponent, Judge Hans Liljeberg, and Wednesday’s opinion says that accusation is “unsubstantiated.”